New Voices Award FAQs

Note: This post was originally written in 2010, however we continue to update the comments section with answers to your questions.

The New Voices Award is open to all authors of color who have not previously had a children’s picture book published. The winner receives a cash prize of $1000 and our standard publication contract, including our basic advance and royalties for a first time author. An Honor winner will receive a cash prize of $500.

We periodically get some questions about the Award, so I’d like to answer a few of them if I can:

What does it mean to be a person of color?

Well, that can be a pretty complicated question, but for the purposes of our New Voices Award specifically, we accept contest entries from people of African, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latin American, Middle Eastern, or Native American/Indigenous descent.

Why is the New Voices Award only open to people of color?

The New Voices Award was founded to encourage and support authors of color in a market where they’ve been traditionally excluded and underrepresented. That was true in 2000 when the award was started and it’s still true today (see these stats for some surprising figures about the number of books published by/for people of color). The New Voices Award is one of the ways in which we’re trying to close the gap.

Does Lee & Low only publish books by people of color?

No! Anyone can submit a manuscript to us through our general submissions. We make a special effort to work with writers and artists of color because they are still underrepresented, but we recognize that quality work is not dependent on an author’s ethnicity. For a good discussion about writing cross-culturally, see this post by Tu Books Editorial Director Stacy Whitman.

I am a self-published author. May I still submit to the New Voices Award?

No. Self-published children’s authors are welcometo submit through our general submissions, but only authors who have not been published before, either traditionally or through self-publishing, are eligible for this award.

Do I need to find an illustrator to go with my manuscript?

No. In fact, you should not submit your manuscript with any illustrations. The New Voices Award is for text only – if a book wins, an illustrator will be chosen and paired with the manuscript at a later point.

Do I need an agent to submit my manuscript?

No. In fact, only submissions from writers without agents are considered for the award. The New Voices Award is for unpublished children’s book writers who are trying to break into publishing.

How do I contact an Editor with my question?

Most answers about the contest can be found by thoroughly reading the contest guidelines. Please refer to the New Voices Award guidelines for complete information about the award, submission qualifications, and how to submit your manuscript.

Can I receive confirmation my submission has been received by Lee & Low Books?

If you wish to receive confirmation that we received your submission, please send it via a service (such as FedEx) that provides you with a tracking number or mail it with a US postal service return receipt attached. Both these provide you with a way of checking on the delivery of your submission.

98 thoughts on “New Voices Award FAQs”

Elie—No. The award is specifically for picture book manuscripts—that is, the text of a picture book. If you are also an illustrator, you may mention that in your cover letter. There’s more about the relationship between author, illustrator, and editor on our children’s book publishing trivia page.

Hi Hannah
I am still working on Manuscript. This is my first try at writing a children’s book.
Is 1500 word the complete book? that is do I have to stay with that framework. Also Can I submitted a work in progress for consideration? I have been working with a illustrator that I would like to stay with does this present a problem with your firm business model?

Thank you, Hannah. If I were make references to names of people in a Chinese family (for example: mei mei, which means sister in Chinese, or ni ni, which means Grandma) would these two syllabic sounds count as one word because they are referencing one person?

Thanks so much for responding to my questions. Another one– do you want us to head our manuscript or format the first page in any particular way? For standard industry submissions, I understand we’re supposed to start the story half way down the page with our address and page count on the first page. But since our address and page count will be on the cover sheet anyway, perhaps it’s not necessary to include this in the actual manuscript of the story? Should the story just begin on the top of the page?

Hi Katrina,
Congratulations on having a book about to be published! Unfortunately if you already have a book slated for publication this year, you are no longer eligible for the New Voices Award. You are welcome to submit through our regular submission process though.
Hannah

Jane,
The guidelines ask for authors to be residents of the US, because when an author is located abroad it has implications for book promotion. However, an American citizen currently living abroad who will be back by the end of the year may submit. Let me know if you have any further questions!

For the New Voices contest, we are looking for realistic fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions. If a bit of folklore is woven into a story that is otherwise realistic fiction, then that would be acceptable. From our published books, HOT, HOT ROTI is an example of this.

Folklore is a story that represents an idea or stories that are not true but that many people have heard or read; the idea or stories reflect traditional customs, beliefs, stories, and sayings. Animal stories have animals (talking or not) as the main protagonist.

1) The 1500 word limit does not include title.
2) Non-Engish words are acceptable in a title, but the word should be easily readable/pronounceable by English readers.
3) There is not a hard-fast word limit for an afterword, although we suggest that you don’t exceed 600 words for an afterword/author’s note.

Hello – A question on 2015 sumissions: The guidelines say we must not have previously published a PB. But what about other genre’s? I published a NF middle grade book some years back. Am I eligible? Thanks.

Hi, I have the same question (or similar) as Rae: I have self-published adult work, and have a self-published YA work (for ages 16+) forthcoming, etc. But I have never published or been published as a children’s author. Am I still eligible?

Hello- The guidelines say that previously submitted manuscripts can not be re-submitted. I have a story I submitted for last year’s New Voices Award that I have re-worked. May I submit an updated version of my story for the 2015 awards? Thank you.

What format should the manuscript be in? I made dummy picture book on Word with no illustrations (text only)? Is this unacceptable? Also, I am an Artist/Illustrator as well. I did a painting that inspired the story I am submitting for the contest. Can I include it in the cover letter?

Hello, hello, hello! Last year, I submitted a story for the New Voices contest with an SASE to be notified in writing of your decision by January 31st. I moved this summer and realized that the SASE was addressed for my previous place. I’m wondering if there is still a way for me to be notified of your decision. No worries if there is not. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond!

Hi Naydham! If your manuscript is not chosen as one of the winners, there is still a chance that one of our editors may be interested in working with you to develop it for acquisition. So the answer is yes, though it is not guaranteed.

I had submitted a ms for this award back in 2013. Recently, I won a WNDB mentorship with Jane Yolen and with her help, we completely revised the story so that it is no longer anything like the previous version even though the subject matter remains the same.

Your rule #4 says, “Manuscripts previously submitted for this award or to LEE & LOW BOOKS will not be considered.” But would it be eligible if it is completely rewritten (either for the New Voices award or the LEE & LOW in general)?

My husband and I want to submit our manuscript. He is African American and I am Caucasian. Since I am not a person of color, would this be a violation of the rules? Or would it be okay to submit because my husband is African American? Thank you.

Hello. I was trying to find more information about the Award for this contest (2107); particularly the standard publication contract including advances and royalties. I’m having a hard time finding information on the website. Forgive me if I overlooked it. Can someone point me in the right direction? Please and thank you!

Hi Ebony,
Thank you for your inquiry! Unfortunately, we do not share the specific terms of our contracts with entrants.

However, our contract is similar to sample book publishing contracts found online. If you would like an idea of what is included in a contract, we recommend reading these examples as well as visiting the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators FAQ page, which provides a breakdown of the publishing process, contracts, and royalties: http://www.scbwi.org/online-resources/frequently-asked-questions/

Regarding your question re: copyright – yes, you can submit the manuscript even if it’s been copyrighted.

We appreciate your interest in Lee & Low Books and hope you will participate in this year’s New Voices Award!

Hi Lily! Thank you for your inquiry regarding the New Voices Award. As stated in our contest guidelines, manuscripts under consideration with other publishers, agents, mentorship contests, writing contests, or Lee & Low’s general submissions may not be submitted for this award.

Hi, I was wondering if it’s preferred that we briefly introduce the contents of the story in the cover letter or if it’s better to omit information beyond the title entirely. Thanks for the clarification.

Hello, I see in the guidelines that stories with “anthropomorphic” characters will not be considered. I just want to clarify that if my human character dialogues with animals, this would make my submission ineligible. Are there any contests that my submission would be considered for a brand new writer?

Hi Jasmine, Thank you for your New Voices Award inquiry. If the animals in your story have conversations with human characters, then they are anthropomorphic which makes the submission ineligible for the award.

Can you please let me know to whom I should address my cover letter? Is “Dear Writing Contest Judges” adequate, or would you recommend something else? Thank you in advance for your help, and hope your day is going well.

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Lee & Low Books New Voices Award. The winner and honor of the contest were notified at the end of December 2017. We will make a public announcement naming the winner and honor on Wednesday, January 17th. You can look for our press release on our blog (blog.leeandlow.com) at that time.

We appreciate your interest in Lee & Low Books and wish you the best of luck on your writing journey!

Hi Tori-Ann,
The winner of the New Voices Award will be announced here on our blog in mid-January. Contestants will also be notified of the winner by mail if they included a self-addressed stamped envelope with their entry.

Thank you for your inquiry. If you submitted a manuscript to the New Voices Award contest and it was not selected as a winner you may submit it to our general submissions. We recommend revising the manuscript first and making sure it’s as strong as possible before sending it in. You can find our complete General Submissions guidelines on our website, here. You may submit multiple manuscripts at one time.

We appreciate your interest in Lee & Low Books and wish you the best of luck on your writing journey!

Thanks for your question! Since line breaks and spacing are instrumental parts of poetic storytelling, please break the lines and space them in a way that best suits the story. If you’d like, you can break them at the rhyming words. And, yes, please double space the Author’s Note. Good luck!

I need to know what consist a picture book? This is my first story so I don’t know what meant of picture book. Do I need to illustrate and put pictures each page? I thought that I only have to create cover of the book with illustration. Please help me understand the picture book.

Thank you for reaching out! Our website has a list of valuable resources about children’s book writing, submission, and publishing processes that you may find helpful. Please find a link to our webpage below:

For further information about the children’s book publishing industry, we highly recommend visiting this webpage from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) website: SCBWI Frequently Asked Questions.

If you think your manuscript would be a good fit for the New Voices Award contest, our editors would be happy to consider it. Please find the submission guidelines here:

I am planning to submit a manuscript for this year’s New Voices Award, but by the time I do, it’s possible that I will have submitted a different manuscript to another publisher. Should I be lucky enough to be offered a contract for that other manuscript before the New Voices Award is announced, would I need to withdraw? If so, how would I do that?

If there are any changes to the status of your submission or your authorship after you submit to the New Voices Award contest, please send us an update via email at editorial[at]leeandlow.com with the subject line: NEW VOICES SUBMISSION UPDATE. In the body of the email, please include your full name, the title of your submission(s), and briefly explain any changes that may affect your eligibility for the contest. An editor will respond with next steps.

We appreciate your interest in Lee & Low Books and look forward to considering your manuscript. Best of luck on your writing journey!

Hi,
If we are including a cover letter, do we still write our name on the manuscript?
Also how long should the brief biographical note be?
And is the relevant cultural and ethnic information about the author or the story?
Thanks for answering my questions.

Thank you for reaching out, Joanna! Yes, please include your name on your cover letter and on your manuscript. Your biographical note can range from a few sentences to one paragraph, and the cultural and ethnic information is about you (the author) and your story. Please include this information in your cover letter.